Now I know this doesn’t have much to do with fashion but I like sharing little tidbits that I pick up along the way with my readers…and I was writing a piece for Jet Set Extra on the fabulous Guerilla Burgers so I thought I would share it with you all you lovelies as well…
Ok, I’ll come right out and say it. I’m American and I love cheeseburgers. This should come as no surprise to anyone that is American or knows Americans. It seems to be a love we were all born with. Hello , red meat! My friends make fun of the fact that even when I am dining at The Ivy I order a cheeseburger. I can’t help it, their cheeseburger is bloody marvellous (no pun intended). So when I am given an opportunity to try out a new burger joint in London, or anywhere else in the world, I always take it.
The latest burger haven to open in London is called Guerilla Burgers. Now if you have surfed the internet looking for this burger bar you will have thus far seen mixed reviews about the food. Some people have loved it and other people have had a lot to say about improvements that could be made. So I went in last Saturday evening with an open mind. I decided not to listen to the critics but to be my own judge from the moment I stepped in the door.
So let’s start with the décor. Now first of all, the restaurant is situated on James Street just off Oxford Street. If you are familiar with this area you will know that there are around twelve restaurants on this one street alone. Is it wise to open a new venture in an already saturated marketplace? Hmmm…. Well Guerilla Burgers puts all the other little restaurants on the street to shame. The blue painted exterior with the smart logo-ed awnings draw attention away from everything else one might spot on the street. You are immediately drawn into this hipster spot from the moment you hit the pavement. We arrived on a night that was pretty quiet. I have to say that I don’t think this was the restaurant, all of London seemed to be eerily quiet for a Saturday night. There were about a dozen people in the restaurant and they were all very local, hip and urban looking – always a good sign, I find.
The interior was very funky. I am not sure what I was expecting but this wasn’t it. That isn’t a bad thing, it just threw me off momentarily. It didn’t seem to flow very well. I loved the wall art and the clean spaces throughout but the lights threw me completely. I was later told that this was an after thought as the original lights were so heavy they brought the ceiling down! We can’t have that….and plus, I’m not in the restaurant to review the lights, I’m there for the food!
Now here’s the other big deal for the atmosphere. Immediately you will be hit by loud rock music. I brought my boyfriend along on this particular adventure and he is a huge fan of classic rock (half of the reason I brought him). He absolutely ate it up and on several occasions called the waitress over to ask what the name of a track that was playing. The sign of a perfect fit for waitress and restaurant – she knew every track playing both track title and artist…perfection! Some might be bothered by the loud music playing in the background but I thought it added to the mood of the restaurant…this place is , after all, called Guerilla Burgers, not the Ritz.
Now on to the food. We started the evening with drinks. BF(boyfriend) had a Red Stripe beer and I decided to sample the cocktails by ordering a margarita with fresh passion fruit.
The margarita was delicious! In fact I knew I would have to pace myself or I would make it through ten before getting up, legless, to leave.
For appetizers we decided to order the “nice little chicken bites” and the “cream of tomato soup in a mug”. The chicken was absolutely delicious and very tender. It comes serves with two sauces – a house salsa and Russian tarragon dressing. I didn’t fancy their house salsa much as it had a hint of BBQ and I’m not a huge fan…but you might really enjoy it. I did, however, love the Russian tarragon dressing which the manager informed me was discovered on accident when a few choice ingredients were thrown in the blender – nice accident!
The tomato soup was delicious and it came with lovely “toasted soldiers” aka. Slices of toasted bread. It was so hot that we had to wait a good ten minutes before we could dig into the freshly made soup.
Of course at this point we were nearly full and we still had the main courses to go! We had each ordered a burger. BF ordered chicken and I went for the British Beef. Now other reviewers have said that the burgers were dry or the buns were too seedy. Well folks, firstly I thought the buns were delicious and I’m glad that Guerilla Burgers did not listen to the reviews here. What they did listen to, however, were the comments on how the burgers were cooked. They identified the problem and I am happy to report that just three weeks after opening they have perfected the art of cooking a medium rare burger. It was absolutely to die for! You know those burgers that just melt in your mouth when you bite into them….well, if you haven’t had that luxury you can now go to Guerilla Burgers to experience it! Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the Sweet Potato Fries! I have waited forever and ever in London for someone to add Sweet Potato Fries to the menu and now Guerilla Burgers has answered my prayers. They were great – my only suggestion is to serve them with the Russian Taragon Dressing or another special dressing as Sweet Potato Fries are made for dipping!
After another round of drinks we were, sadly, too stuffed to even finish the main course and therefore could not order from the selection of desserts. I did see a Brownie Sundae pass our table which looked to die for, so I’ll have to go back for that in the very near future.
Overall, I give this restaurant a very high rating. It might not be for everyone but I would say it’s worth sticking on your itinerary if you are planning a visit to the area any day soon. Oh, and if you happen to be in town during the summer you might want to book ahead and this place is going to be non-stop full when they are able to open all the doors to allow for a completely open air restaurant!
I can’t wait to go back soon for another burger…see you guys in there!
